Chapter 664 - It's All An Illusion
Chapter 664: It’s All An Illusion
“Who are those people?” Qin Zhen asked after the group of rich kids from the modified car club left.
“I met them some time ago,” Zhang Heng replied.
“They seem to admire you a lot. And they mentioned about wanting you to teach them something?” Qin Zhen asked curiously.
“They want me to teach them how to drift in a Santana,” Zhang Heng whispered in a grave tone.
“Hahaha!” Chi Jia burst into laughter when she heard Zhang Heng’s explanation. “I thought you didn’t like group activities, and you didn’t join any school clubs. I thought you were a rather boring person. I didn’t expect you to come up with such a funny joke. It’s no wonder you could win Bai Qing over.”
Bai Qing blushed and pushed Chi Jia, “Stop talking talk nonsense!”
…
This incident that had taken place before the concert did not wipe away everyone’s excitement but instead, brought the four of them closer. Even Bai Qing, who was a little nervous before, was now back to chatty self. She began to talk about recently released movies and games.
Zhang Heng also learned that Bai Qing was a fan of Nintendo classic games, having singlehandedly completed classic titles like Super Mario, Contra, Pokemon, and Zelda.
It was no wonder she tried to finish her homework as fast as possible every day.
After the four people finished their food, the concert staff began to let spectators into the stadium. The crowd started to look for their respective entrances, and Qin Zhen passed the glow sticks to everyone. They, too, began to follow the crowd into the stadium.
The VIP area was located on the lowest floor, and they were very close to the stage now. Once they got there, they sat on stools that had been allocated to them by the staff. Qin Zhen’s cousin was kind enough to get them the centered VIP seats, which directly faced the main stage.
At this distance, they could see the performance without looking at the large screen on the other side. Chi Jia began to complain about Zhang Heng not telling her about the seating position beforehand. She would have brought the power bank with her, considering how her phone’s battery had less than 50% left. Now, she had to carefully monitor her usage if she wanted to take more pictures.
After the admission was completed, all the fans found their seats, and the lights were dimmed, an indication that the concert had officially commenced. Just as everyone stretched out their necks to look for GEM, Bai Qing suddenly turned and looked at Zhang Heng in the dark.
Zhang Heng was aware of that, so he turned and smiled back at her. Right at that moment, the background music was played. GEM was standing on the elevator platform, rising from the bottom of the stage, and a beam of light landed on her, making her the center of attention.
Qin Zhen and Chi Jia excitedly followed the other fans and waved the glow sticks in their hands. A sea of glow sticks lit up the entire stadium at that moment. GEM was indeed worthy of the title, Iron Lung. The moment her voice was audible, the entire stadium’s atmosphere instantly lit up.
Zhang Heng had attended several concerts before. Admittedly, although some rumors had tainted GEM’s reputation, nobody could deny that she was indeed a top-notch songstress. Watching her singing live in front of an audience was an experience on a whole different level.
For the next two and a half hours, all four of them fully focussed on the concert. Even Zhang Heng forgot his main quest temporarily. Putting aside the matter of the aliens, this quest allowed him to return to his high-school life. Without having to worry about homework and advancing his studies, Zhang Heng realized how much fun he had missed out on during his high-school years.
Being a teenager was simple and fun. When a teenager liked someone, they would look at the person they liked with a gentle smile. It did not mean that they had to be together, but one could feel overwhelming joy by just gazing at the person, unlike adulthood, where every action one took would be taken into account.
Of course, they thought about the future too, but the future was too far away, except for a handful of teenagers that became more mature than their peers. Most teenagers did not have a clear concept and plan for the future, where life in high-school was the summer that would never come to an end.
Most teenagers often dreamt of becoming a grownup, but once they became adults, they would quickly realize that it wasn’t like what they expected. The world was a starkly different place than their dreams. Unconsciously, the most beautiful time of their lives had been all but left behind, all too soon.
…
The concert reached a climax when GEM performed her single “Bubble.” Released in 2012, it became a tune familiar to everyone, fourteen years after she participated in the reality show ‘Singer.’
For her final performance of the night, GEM changed into a long skirt, holding a microphone in one hand and a translucent piece of silk cloth in the other. As the blowers installed on the stage blew the cloth around, it made her look like she was about to fly away from the stage.
“It’s so beautiful,” Chi Jia gushed in envy, “I want to be a singer when I grow up!”
“Then I’ll become your agent and bodyguard,” Qin Zhen waved his glow stick and croaked. He was gradually losing his voice after singing along with the crowd for the entire concert.
“No, you will beat up my fans if you become my bodyguard!” Chi Jia rolled her eyes. “I don’t want to be famous for the wrong reasons.”
“Do I look violent to you?” Qin Zhen scratched his head.
“You should continue to play basketball in the future. Isn’t that your favorite thing?”
“That’s true.”
The two-and-a-half-hour concert seemed to be over in an instant. GEM sang two more songs upon her rabid fans’ requests before the concert finally came to a close.
When they walked out of the stadium, it was almost half-past ten at night. The crowd was still GEM’s tunes while they tried to get on the buses to return home. Some people were trying to get themselves a taxi on the side of the road. Like a lion hunting for its prey in the Africa savannah, each kept a close eye for available cabs.
Knowing that a concert was held here tonight, more than the usual lot of taxi drivers were waiting outside the stadium. However, the number of taxis wasn’t sufficient to cover the thousands gathered in the stadium. Some unfortunate ones had to wait for ages just to get home.
Considering how late it was, Zhang Heng proposed walking for a distance before getting a taxi to send the girls home. Qin Zhen was fine with the idea, and since Chi Jia and Bai Qing lived close to each other, they could just drop-off at the same place. Zhang Heng and Qin Zhen could then walk home after making sure that the girls returned home safely.
The taxi arrived at where Chi Jia lived first. After Chi Jia got off the car, Qin Zhen, who was in the front passenger seat, winked at Zhang Heng. The latter understood and said, “I will escort you to your apartment.” Then he told Zhang Heng, “You can come here to find me later.
At that time, Chi Jia had already pulled Qin Zhen out of the car.
Only Bai Qing and Zhang Heng were left in the back seat, but neither spoke again until Zhang Heng sent Bai Qing back to her house.
Bai Qing did not enter her house immediately. She stood there, looked at Zhang Heng, and said, “Well, that… thank you very much for today. I bet you must’ve spent a lot on the concert.”
“It’s nothing. I made about 200,000 yuan from the supermarket lottery earlier.”
Bai Qing opened her eyes wide, “Which supermarket?! Please tell me.”
“It’s too late. I won the first prize.” Zhang Heng grinned.
“…”
“I just found out that you are quite capable of making up stories.” Bai Qing smiled. Suddenly, someone ran across the corridor, coming up to a unit, and started shaking the iron-grill door. At the same time, the person shouted, “Help! Someone is trying to kill me!”